Geoffrey Gordon (b. 1968)
Mythologies and Mad Songs
Puck – fleeing from the dawn (2017)
Mad Song for English horn and orchestra (2020)
ICE – aut inveniam viamaut faciam (2019)
Prometheus for bass clarinet and orchestra (after Kafka) (2018)
Dimitri Mestdag (English horn), Laurent Ben Slimane (bass clarinet)
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra/Martyn Brabbins
rec. 2019, Royal Festival Hall, London (Prometheus), 2022, City Halls, Glasgow
Orchid Classics ORC100305 [70]
This is the first music I have heard written by Anglo/American composer Geoffrey Gordon and it makes a strong impression. Especially when played in as clearly authoritative and convincing performances as here. In his own liner note which is worth quoting in full here, Gordon explains the genesis of the four works on this generous 70:27 disc; “Mythologies and Mad Songs is the culmination of an intense three year burst of creativity during which I wrote all of the works on this disc. It represents, in that sense, a kind of sonic document – a tangible record of my love of the orchestra and the universe of sound and color it provides, as well as a snapshot of some of the things that inspire me, from Shakespeare, Blake and Kafka (and the mythology and magic of their works) to the extraordinary longing for exploration deeply embedded in the human spirit.”
Not having read the booklet before my first listen interesting to note two descriptors that sprang to my mind during that first listen; fluency and vibrancy. All four works on the disc represent Gordon’s responses to differing pre-existing paintings, poetry or prose. The disc consists of two orchestral works that exhibit a real flair for textures and timbres and two concertante works both which again reveal a composer with an impressive understanding for effective and idiomatic writing for instruments both collectively and soloistically. The disc opens with Puck – fleeing from the dawn which is a 7:00 very effective orchestral scherzo/miniature tone poem and as such would make a brilliant concert opener rather in the style of an overture. The music flickers and darts in a way that skilfully encapsulates the nocturnal impishness of Shakespeare’s “knavish sprite” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Gordon’s succinct “Dreamlike. Yet also bursting with energy” is a perfect description. Another notable feature of this performance and indeed the whole disc is the virtuosity of the playing. With the exception of Prometheus, all the works are studio recordings played by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra whilst that work is heard in the world premiere concert performance by the Philharmonia Orchestra and Laurent Ben Slimane given at London’s Royal Festival Hall. All four works make substantial demands of the players individually and in ensemble and the standard here is wonderfully high – no doubt helped in great part by the lucid and intelligent conducting of Martyn Brabbins. Especially since the death of Sir Andrew Davis, Brabbins must surely be recognised as one of the UK’s leading conductors especially in the field of contemporary or ‘forgotten’ music.
The two concertante works on the disc present both composer and performers with a considerable challenge. Neither solo instrument – cor anglais in Mad Song or bass clarinet in Prometheus (after Kafka) have an extended repertoire of solo works. The main reason for this is surely a question of timbre and range. Hence the composer has to create ‘space’ within his orchestra to accommodate the solo line whilst the player needs to be able to project his instrument without forcing the tone or pressing the dynamics. Again both soloists are wholly successful playing with remarkable evenness and tonal beauty throughout these taxing works. Dmitri Mestdag is the cor anglais soloist in Mad Song. This is a three movement work (played continuously) for around 18:20 which is a musical treatment of William Blake’s eponymous poem published in 1783. None of the works on the disc are specifically programmatic instead representing the composer’s response to the external stimulation of the work in question. Mestdag plays quite beautifully. He is the solo cor anglais of the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra who commissioned the work. Another challenge for both composer and performer is the timbral nature of the cor anglais. The instrument does not pierce through textures in the way say a cello in a similar range can. Likewise there is an intrinsic mellowness that works against dramatic musical gestures – in contrast the bass clarinet can ‘punch’ a phrase with almost percussive accents that is used to great effect in Prometheus. However, Gordon still achieves a powerfully expressive score superbly played.
The extra-musical stimulus for ICE – aut inveniam viamaut faciam [I shall find a way or make a way] are the writings of polar explorer Robert Perry who made the first successful journey to the North Pole in 1909. Gordon’s score is both an acknowledgement of the act of human endeavour that represents but also a musical representation of the frozen wastes and an acknowledgement of the influence of Vaughan Williams’ Sinfonia Antartica a score that made a lasting impression on the young composer. Although both the concertante works play continuously, ICE is the longest single span of music on this disc at 17:58. This is another impressive work with striking orchestral gestures and textures. Again there is no specific programme but hard not to imagine looming ice walls and a sense of peril and endeavour.
The last work on the disc is also the longest – lasting around 27:00 across its four continuous movement span. As mentioned before this is a recording of the live premiere. The production team have done a remarkable job rendering the acoustic of the Royal Festival Hall as warm and accommodating as it does here. Likewise the playing by the Philharmonia and soloist Laurent Ben Slimane is wonderfully confident and convincing. Gordon credits the creative burst of energy the music on this disc represents as being born out of the success of this premiere. Gordon has taken Franz Kafka’s distillation of the Prometheus myth into four verses/movements. Again the practical issues of creating musical ‘windows’ for the low-lying bass clarinet are imaginatively and successfully handled with the result an extended work that not only convinces on first hearing but reveals more on each subsequent one.
This is a disc of serious music seriously well-played with engineering and presentation to match. Another fine release from Orchid Classics who seem to devote a lot of time and effort into making recordings that feature fine artists performing often unusual or unexpected repertoire. Feathers in caps all round.
Nick Barnard
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